Smart Window Maker View Raises $150 Million
Forbes, August 13, 2015. Image credit: Unsplash
View’s technology is also known as an electrochromic window. The way View’s windows work is by coating a layer of metal oxide inside the dual-pane window. By applying a small electrical voltage to the oxide, ions move between layers in the glass and hit the electrochromic material to block light.
The company claims its windows can save a building 20% on its energy bill over a 12-month period. By tinting windows to reduce the sun’s intensity, buildings can regulate the temperature without having to resort to air conditioning as much.
“Every View window has an IP address and controllable through the Internet,” said View CEO Rao Mulpuri in a phone call. “Everything is at your fingertips and then it can tie a number of other things together. The windows can now talk to the lighting and HVAC system, and on a more global level it could connect to the future smart city and smart grid.”
But even with all the environmental benefits of using the glass, Mulpuri said that the company is discovering the best way to sell the technology is by emphasizing the quality of life improvements for workers in a building. Windows can still be large but not unpleasant in the glaring sun.